Life preserver



Dec. 12, 1933.

J. ROBERTSON LIFE PRESERVER Filed Oct. 20. 1931 INVENTOR, /a/mu fi 5WATTORNEY Patented Dec. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in life preservers.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved life preserver whichis adapted to support the wearer in a position with his head well abovethe surface of the water.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved life preserverhaving the buoyant material therein so disposed as to automaticallycause the wearers body to assume a rearwardly inclined position in whichthe head is supported well above the surface of the water.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved lifepreserver having a chin rest which prevents the wearers, head fromdropping forwardly even though consciousness might be lost from exposureor through other causes.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved lifepreserver adapted to fit persons of different sizes, having the buoyantmaterial therein so arranged as to automatically cause a person wearingthe same to assume a position with his face disposed in an upwarddirection and well above the surface of the water.

Other objects more or less apparent will pre' sent themselves or will bespecifically pointed out in the description to follow.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a life preserver constructed in accordance withmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view showing my invention secured upon a wearer;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 shows a portion of one of the spring contained securing straps,the outer covering thereof being partly broken away and in section.

In constructing my improved life preserver I preferably out two layersof canvas or other suit- .19 able fabric into the desired shape and sizeand place suitable quantities of kapok or other buoy- ,ant materialbetween the layers before sewing their edges together. The device iscomprised of three main buoyant compartments 1, 2 and 3, the compartment1 being disposed at the lower end, the middle compartment 2 beingconnected to compartment 1 by a flexible strip 4, and the compartment 3being disposed at the opposite or upper end. An inverted U-shapedopening 5 5 i" formed between the compartments 2 and 3, the id openinghaving a rounded top end 5 which extends into the compartment 3. Thecompartments 2 and 3 are joined together by narrowed kapok filledshoulder portions -6, which, by reason of their comparative narrowness,are somewhat flexible. Extending upwardly fromthe upper end of thecompartment 2 and disposed between the shoulder portions 6 is aprotruding member or chin rest '7 which is adapted to extend under thechin of a wearer and thereby prevent his head from dropping downwardly.In order to automatically position the body of the wearer with his faceupward and lifted well out of the water, I have distributed the buoyantmaterial in the various compartments in such a manner that compartments2 and 3 are sufficiently buoyant to effect the desired results. Thecompartment 2 is normally located on the breast of the wearer with theupwardly protruding member 7 positioned under the chin. The compartment2 serves to automatically position thebody of the wearer so the face isturned upward. The compartment 3 is so disposed with'reference to themiddle compartment that it lies beneath the back of the wearers head andforms a rest and support therefor. The compartment 3 may be providedwith a crease 8 within which. the wearers head normally rests, while thecompartment 2 may be provided with a similar crease 8 which permits theside edges of the said compartment to be drawn closer to the breast.

The means employed for securing the device upon a wearer consists of twostraps 9 fastened at ends thereof to opposite side edges of compartment3. The straps extend downwardly through rings 10 secured to oppositesidehedges of the compartment 2, at points beneath the shoulder portions6. The straps are each preferably provided therein with one or morecoiled springs or other suitable resilient means 11 which enable thedevice to be secured upon bodies of diiferent sizes. Suitablefasteningmeans 12 provided on the free ends of the straps permit thesecuring of the said ends together.

A person desiring to use the device first places his head through theinverted U-shaped opening 6, thereby causing the compartment 2'to becomepositioned on his breast and the compartment 3 back of his head. Thestraps 9 are crossed at the back of the wearers body and then broughtforward over the flexible strip 4 to a point in the front where they arefastened together. In fastening the straps together a downward pressureis exerted upon the sides of compartment 3, thereby causing the roundedlower edge. thereof to firmly contact with the lower part of the wearersneck. The tension of the springs 11 in the straps not only causes thecompartment 3 to be maintained in a secure position against the lowerpart of the head of the wearer, but also maintains the compartment 2firmly against the wearers breast. When the device has been placed inoperative position upon a person it is almost'impossible to effect itsdetachment except by. unfastening the ends of the straps. The properfunctioning of the compartments 2 and 3 in automatically causing a.persons body to assume a rearwardly inclined position in the water, ismaterially assisted by the lower compartment 1 which turns upwardly uponthe strip 4, thereby contributing consider-- ably in turning the personupon his back or into the required position. It is to be observed thatthe buoyant compartment 2, the buoyant compartment 3, the buoyantshoulder portions 6 and the chin rest 7 are formed integrally with oneanother, and that they cooperate with one another to support a wearersbody in such a position that his head is maintained above the surface ofthe water with his face upwardly disposed. The buoyant shoulder portions6 and the upper compartment 3, which forms the head rest, cooperate withone another to normally maintain the chin rest 7 in such a position thatthe wearers head cannot drop forwardly.

Although I have shown and described a life preserver constructionconstituting the preferred embodiment of my invention, still, it isrecognized that the principles thereof may also be embodied in otherforms or shapes having considerable merit. For this and other apparentreasons, I desire my invention included broadly within the spirit of theappended claims rather than limited to the exact construction hereinshown and described.

Having described my invention what I claim 1. A life preservercomprising an upper buoyant compartment normally positioned beneath thehead of the wearer and a lower buoyant compartment normally locatedagainst the wearers breast, the said compartments being joined togetherby semi-flexible and buoyant shoulder members, the said comparments andshoulder members being formed integrally with one another and sodisposed with respect to one another that an opening is formed for theinsertion of the head of the wearer, a protuberance extending into thesaid opening from the upper edge of the lower compartment, upon whichpro tuberance the wearers chin normally rests, and means for securingthe device upon a wearer.

2. A life preserver comprising an upper buoyant compartment normallypositioned beneath the wearers head and a lower buoyant compartmentnormally positioned against the wearers breast, the said compartmentsbeing joined together by semi-flexible buoyant shoulder members, and thesaid compartments and shoulder members being disposed in such a mannerthat an opening is formed for the insertion of the head of the wearer, achin rest extending upwardly into the said opening from the top edge ofthe lower compartment, and means for securing the device upon a personwhich includes a plurality of flexible straps extending downwardly fromopposite side edges of the upper compart ment through a plurality ofrings secured to opposite side edges of the lower compartment.

3. A life preserver comprising an upper buoyant compartment and a lowerbuoyant compartment joined together by buoyant shoulder members, thelower buoyant compartment being normally positioned against the breastof the wearer and the upper buoyant compartment being normallypositioned beneath the head of the wearer, the said compartments andshoulder members being integrally joined together in such a manner thatan opening is provided for the insertion of the head of a wearer, a chinrest formed integrally with the lower compartment and extending into thesaid opening, and means for securing the device upon a person.

4. A life preserver comprising an upper buoyant compartment and a lowerbuoyant compartment joined together by buoyant shoulder members, thesaid compartments and shoulder 1nembers being integrally joined togetherin such a .manner that an opening is formed for the insertion of thehead of the wearer, and means for securing the device upon a wearerwhich includes a plurality of flexible straps extending downwardly fromopposite side edges of the upper compartment and through loops locatedat opposite side edges of the lower compartment, the said straps beingadapted to be crossed at the back of the wearers body and to be fastenedtogether at their free ends at the front of the device.

5. In a life preserver, a buoyant/one piece float comprising breast,shoulder and head supporting portions formed integrally with one anotherand so disposed with espect to one another than an opening is f0 ed forthe insertion of the head of the wearer, the said breast portion beingprovided with a protuberance extending into the said opening.

6. In a life preserver, a buoyant one piece float formed and shaped soas to provide a head supporting portion, a breast portion normallypositioned against the breast of the wearer, a plurality of spacedshoulder portions joining the head supporting and breast portions, and achin rest portion projecting from breast portion at points between theshoulder portions.

7. A life preserver comprising an upper buoyant. compartment normallyfor cg a headrest disposed in an upwardly inclined position behind thehead of the wearer and a lower buoyant compartment normally pos ionedagainst the wearers breast, the said c mpartinents being joined togetherby semi-flexible shoulder members normally a continuation of and alignedwith said upwardly inclined headrest, the said cornpartments andshoulder membrs being disposed in such a manner that an opening isformed for the insertion of the head of the wearer, and means forsecurim the device in position on the wearer which includes a pluralityof straps extending downwardly from opposite side edges of the uppercompartment over the shoulders of the wearer and through a plurality ofloops secured to opposite side edges of the lower compartment.

8. In a life preserver, a unitary buoyant float comprising a buoyantbreast portion normally positioned against the breast of a wearer, abuoyant head supporting portion no'-'inally disposed in an upwardlyinclined position behind the head of the wearer and semi-flexiblebuoyant shoulder portions normally positioned upon the shoulders of thewearer and being a continuation of and in alignment with said buoyanthead supporting portion, the shoulder portions being formed integrallywith the said breast and head supporting portions, and means forsecuring the device in position on the wearer which includes a pluralityof straps extending downwardly from opposite side edges of the uppercompartment over the shoulders of the wearer and through a plurality ofloops secured to opposite side edges of the lower compartment.

J AMES ROBERTSON.

